Civilla, Code for America team up to improve public benefits applications

Civilla is working with California-based nonprofit on national pilot to improve public benefits application process for mobile users

Code for America chose Civilla because of its work to shorten and clarify Michigan's paper public assistance application, based on user feedback

The joint work of the two nonprofits is expected to inform similar public benefits projects across the U.S.

Civilla

Civilla is focusing on user feedback to help improve the the process for applying for public benefits in Michigan through a mobile device.

Michigan may soon have something to teach the rest of the country about improving the process for applying for public benefits.

The Detroit-based nonprofit Civilla has teamed up with California-based nonprofit Code for America to improve mobile users' experience with the state's online benefits application using a similar technique that puts real-life people at the center of studying how to improve the process.

The local effort comes as part of a national project aimed at strengthening online application systems for public benefits. It builds on Civilla's recent completion of its inaugural project, a nearly 2 1/2-year effort that took Michigan's legendarily complicated public benefits application — a 42-page, intimidating monster of a form — down to 18 pages or less, depending on what's being applied for.

The idea? Put humans at the center of the process. That involved thousands of hours of interviews about the hurdles and questions people faced as they confronted filling out the form.

Michael Brennan, co-founder and CEO, Civilla

"We have tools out of an industrial period that have tended to have us think of people as widgets and numbers, so you design systems that way," said Civilla's CEO and Co-founder Michael Brennan, who left United Way at the end of 2015 after a 30-year career there.

The systems "end up not being very humane, (and) so much complexity gets loaded in that (they) end up not being very efficient."

Just as it did when it redesigned the paper form, Civilla is now sitting with a pilot group of users at two Genesee County sites to understand the issues they encounter as they attempt to apply for benefits from a mobile device. And it's working with Code for America to figure out how technology could be used to help deal with those issues.

"The work that's going on here is meant to be of service not just to Michigan but to all 50 states," Brennan said.

A 'superpower'

Civilla and Code for America met in the fall of 2016 at a New York City gathering convened by U.S. Digital Service to bring together organizations working on some aspect of public benefits.

After developing technology to help people apply online for CalFresh, California's version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food assistance program for low-income people, Code For America joined a number of public and private groups to form the Integrated Benefits Initiative.

The initiative is focused on building new human-centered approaches to improve enrollment and eligibility for people who apply for multiple assistance programs. The result could be new tools to assist clients trying to enroll, such as software, pop-up prompts or clarifying language for eligibility and enrollment.

Code for America's partners in the national project include the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Nava PBC, the San Francisco-based technology company that was instrumental in the rescue of Healthcare.gov during the implementation of Obamacare.

Grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the company founded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan in late 2015 to engage in civic and philanthropic investment, are supporting Code for America's national work.

With funding in hand, Code for America chose Civilla and Michigan to launch the pilot for the project, which will eventually expand to four to six states."Working with Civilla is like having a superpower," said Laura Ramos, senior director, integrated benefits for Code for America, in an email. "Civilla brings a deep expertise in human-centered design and truly inspiring commitment to their community — two ingredients required to catalyze change inside government."

Code for America knew it wanted to work with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services from the start, she said.

"Civilla is an indispensable partner in the pilot, and we could not be doing this work at this pace without their prior work."

General Motors is supporting the Michigan work with $450,000 in grants, Brennan said.

Human-centered approach

By shadowing clients coming to the online system from a mobile device and gaining an understanding of the issues they face, Civilla and Code for America are providing a new research and development capacity for state government, Brennan said.

Their approach is putting the human user first and using technology to be of service to their needs instead of the reverse, he said, an approach adopted years ago by companies in the furniture, hand-held technology and other industries.

Work continues, but one area where technology might help users to more quickly and accurately apply for benefits is in submitting supporting documentation for things like checking and savings accounts, vehicles and property owned, income and employment verification, medical needs, childcare and child support, said Civilla's design director, Lena Selzer.

Lena Selzer, design director, Civilla

A person's eligibility can't be determined until all of the required documentation has been received, Brennan said, so anything missing holds up the process.

By sitting with users, Civilla learned that the guidance on submitting required documentation was general and vague. People had a hard time understanding what they needed to submit, Selzer said.

"We also heard from clients that they have a hard time knowing how to collect those documents. Some might have it in a filing cabinet, but others might have to call (the) landlord for copy of lease agreement, a former employer to verify employment, etc."

Then applicants had to figure out how to submit the verification. Many tried to take photos on cell phones, but they were coming out too dark or too blurry, Selzer said.

"We think technology can help them with those things," with, for example, a pop-up message to remind a user to place the document being photographed on a stable surface or to check their light settings.

There could also be room for improvement in how caseworkers communicate with clients during the submittal process, Selzer said.

Something as simple as texting a client to communicate in real time on documentation opens up a whole new world in how a government agency could interact with clients, she said.

Instant messaging is old hat for private businesses, but it's been hard for government agencies to keep up with new technologies in the midst of all the complexity and volume they are dealing with, Brennan said.

The two nonprofits expect to complete the discovery and test phase of their work on the web application by the end of October, Selzer said, with the results of that work dictating what comes next.

National potential

Civilla is operating on a $2 million budget this year with six employees, Brennan said.

About 70 percent of its revenue comes from fees for service, and the remaining third from philanthropic grants. "The innovation happening in Michigan today is already influencing states around the country," Ramos said.

"We have been talking to other states about their participation in a pilot. There has been quite a bit of interest in the Integrated Benefits Initiative especially as we describe ... the work in Michigan."

The understanding gained through the pilot with Civilla "will serve as a foundation for Michigan Department of Health and Human Service leaders to build on as they continue their efforts to redefine the experience Michigan residents have when interacting with government," Ramos said.

And the technologies and tools developed through the Michigan pilot will be available for any state or vendor to learn from or build on, she said.

Code for America plans to feature the Michigan pilot work with Civilla at its annual summit in Oakland, Calif., in late May, an event that attracts many local government leaders from across the country, Ramos said.